Where I First Saw You
by irishthanhy
Summary: Nick takes Adalind to the place where it all started, hoping to start a different kind of journey.


Adalind sat in the passenger seat, looking out the window, once again amazed at where her life had taken her. Once upon a time Nick, who was driving them on their errands, was an enemy she wished she'd never met and now she couldn't imagine a life without him. As Portland went by, she thought of how she'd changed. The streets were the same streets she'd gone down when she was that other person, that other hexenbiest, but they felt new. Still. Everything felt new. Maybe it was motherhood; maybe it was the times she'd had to spend without her powers (once by force and once by choice). But maybe it was all of it, her whole life. She'd lived so much in the time since she saw her first Grimm, since she'd run across Nick. Looking at him now she wondered for the hundredth time what he must be thinking.

Nick smiled at Adalind, holding her gaze for a moment. She smiled back and felt everything that they didn't have to say. Nick loved her as much as she loved him. Contentedly, she sighed. It felt so easy now and she loved how they could communicate so much without words. There was so much history between them, not all of it good. For the first time she was comfortable in her life. She was finally able to be the person she wanted to be when the drive for power wasn't guiding her. She didn't have a disapproving mother tsk-ing over her shoulder or royals looking to use her as a pawn. Even if they tried her friends would do everything to stop them. Friends. It was still odd, sometimes, to think of them that way.

They pulled into a parking spot and Adalind's brows furrowed. "This isn't where the store is." Nick gave her one of his mischievous smiles. "Okay," she began as she narrowed her eyes and tried to mask her own smile, "what's really going on?" She knew when he suggested they drop Kelly and Diana off with Monroe and Rosalee to buy groceries that they didn't really need anything right away. But, she'd figured since Rosalee could give birth to her triplets anytime he wanted to get a childless shopping trip out of the way while they could. Now she was pretty sure something else altogether was going on. A last date night before their best babysitters had their own babies to worry about?

"You really don't know where we are?" Nick asked, brows raised. Adalind looked around at the buildings around them. There was a department store across the street and an office next to a brick pathway leading to a building that housed a coffee shop which was next to...a jewelers. As recognition spread across her face she heard Nick say, "That's where I first saw you," as he pointed to a spot on the walkway. He opened his door and hurried around the front to get hers. He held out his hand to help her down. As Adalind took his hand and slid out of her seat she couldn't help but laugh to herself. "What?"

"I was just thinking that when I saw you that day I had this idea of the fairytale I wanted to live. There was a very different prince who I imagined offering his hand to help me out of a car." She glanced back, adding, "Very different car, too."

"A BMW?" Nick asked. She smiled, remembering the day Hank spilled the beans on his partner's first impression of her. He'd been mostly right about that woman except the 'senior partner' was actually his police captain. Looking into his eyes she knew they were both thinking of how different they were today. On that day he'd been here buying a ring for Juliette. That thought brought her eyes to the ground and her lip to her teeth. As if he could read her thoughts Nick reached out and brought her into his arms. "I couldn't be happier with how everything has turned out." He pulled back to look her in the eyes, "My life changed forever the moment I saw you. I didn't know how completely at the time. I like to think there was a reason you were the first woge I saw." He walked her closer to the spot where she was when they first made eye contact. "I wouldn't trade our life now for anything." He stopped and turn to her and repeated, for emphasis, "For anything."

"Me too. Diana, Kelly, ...you. I couldn't have pictured it but it's more than perfect." She took a few steps back and held out her arms, gesturing to the space around her. "To think it all started here."

Nick smiled and closed the distance. "There's something else I'm hoping will start here." He looked down at her hand and took it in his. "When I came back through the portal and saw Bonaparte's ring was gone, I was so relieved. Then I started thinking of the perfect way to replace it." Adalind gasped and his eyes met hers. After another one of his smiles he dropped to a knee and began, "Adalind…." He paused, seemingly at a lost for words or choked up, before he pulled out a ring, "I love you. Every part of you. You've given me an amazing family and now I want you to be my wife."

Adalind held back her happy tears, nodding. Nick held her hand, looking at it for a long moment before he slipped the ring on her finger. He stood up and took her face in his hands before kissing her. A few people stopped and watched, someone took a picture, but Adalind barely noticed. She hugged Nick and whispered in his ear, "I love you and I'd love to be your wife."

* * *

I'm not sure I really think Nick would propose quite so quickly but

as I was writing this is what made sense for the story so I went with it.

i've never, ever written fanfiction before but I felt that if

Nick "Where you first told me you loved me" Burkhardt

would propose to Adalind someplace with meaning for them


End file.
